WAUSAU - McDonald's was a big part of my childhood, and I am paying the price for it in my adulthood.

My grandfather, who passed away when I was 15, watched me a lot when I was growing up and would often pick me up from school. I would say almost 100 percent of the time he would take me to a fast food restaurant when we would spend time together. My favorites were McDonald's and Burger King, mostly because of the play structures and the toys that came with the meals.

And Grandpa wouldn't buy just the kids meal. He would insist on buying me a dessert and command I refill my drink before we left the restaurant.

I love and miss Grandpa. I have many happy childhood memories with him, and we certainly did more together than just get fast food. But I think that childhood experience has led me to not-great eating habits as an adult.

I still eat fast food multiple times a week. When I do eat at home, it tends be things that are quick to make like pasta. What can I say? Those $1 burritos at Taco Bell are delicious.

It might be a cliché, but I made a New Year's resolution that I was going to be healthier. The main reason I decided to make a change is because my body mass index is considered to be overweight and I wanted to feel and look better.

My home state of Michigan has the 16th highest obesity rate in the country. Forty percent of Wisconsin adults are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime and 28 percentof Wisconsin adults have diabetes but don't know it, according to the state's Department of Health Services.

In February, I drank nothing but water for a week. After that experiment, I have not had soda. I loved pop so much, I never thought I could give it up, but I did it. Inspired by that success, I decided to try to tackle my eating habits.

I decided my first step toward making a lifestyle change would be a grocery store tour March 21, sponsored by Aspirus at the Trig's in Wausau. Registered dietitian Jennifer Mikulich led the tour to teach people how to make informed choices while shopping for food. I took a copious amount of notes, learned how to properly read a nutrition label and got the tools I need to know how to make better choices at the grocery store.

My grandpa and I at a birthday party.(Photo: Courtesy of Carla Hines.)

After the tour, I was convinced I was going to change my French fry-loving ways. Two months later, I have not changed one eating habit. I'm a perfect example of how you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink give up a cheap, greasy burger.

The day after the tour, I helped report on the tragic shooting spree in the Weston area that left five people dead, including the suspected gunman. It was a busy and emotionally charged time, including for the local journalists on the story.

But I won't use that stressful situation as an excuse. It's been two months, my life has become less hectic, and I am still not eating well.

What holds me back?

For one thing, I love food. I have eaten pizza in Florence, New York City and Chicago. I ate snails in Paris. But I still like cheap, fast food, too. I'm also lazy and it's easier to reheat something frozen or get something quick. It's also just not a habit of mine to eat healthily.

Grandpa never really did eat healthily. He died of cancer at 71, and it's hard to know if his eating habits played a role in his health declining. My granny, who died at 72 when I was 18, had Type 2 diabetes. My mother struggles with her weight. I know I really should take control of my eating habits now, but for some reason I just don't.

Grandpa might have started my bad habits, but he is not the reason it continues. I acknowledge, though, that like many Wisconsinites struggling with their health, I need help to get started.

So readers, I am asking you — have you significantly change your eating habits after eating unhealthy foods for a large part of your life? How did you get started kicking the unhealthy eating habit? If you have any tips that you would like to share for me or other readers going through similar struggles, email me at ahines@gannett.com or call 715-845-0658.

Maybe you'll be the person to inspire me, or others, to change. Maybe I'll be able to share our mutual success in a future column.